The New Lin Kue
by Feral Fox
Summary: SubZero once thought that a simple thing like his possesion on the Dragon Medallion could change the LinKue, but Frost had shown him that all of the evil&deceit still remained. He now journies to bury all sins of the old LinKue in hopes of starting anew.
1. Chapter 1

Sub Zero marched through the halls of the Lin Kue headquarters emanating an aura of cold greatly surpassing his ability to freeze. This was the aura of a man who has lived a hard life, a life of death, pain, fear, sacrifice, malice and most of all betrayal. Betrayed by his clan, by his closest friends and by _Frost._ The very name sends a shiver down his spine. She was his pupil, his friend, his companion, and she was also his awakening. Her betrayal and lust for power made him realize that the Lin Kue could not change until all of its old sins have been dealt with.

Before he could put any more thought into the subject, he heard sounds of battle in the courtyard. He quickly made his way through the compound to witness the all too familiar sight of his men battling the Red Dragon. He quickly leapt into the fray, bashing in one man's head and elbowing another's throat. This is the just the thing I needed he thought as he snapped the neck of another Red Dragon. The fight seemed won until another new figure joined in. Everyone cowered at the sight of this behemoth. He wore garbs similar that of a soldier but had a red dragon tattooed all over his chest and a glowing red object over where his heart had been.

Hsu Hao rammed through the battle not bothering to differentiate friend from foe until he reached Sub Zero. After a few moments of sizing each other up Sub Zero decided on a little "risk assessment" he slid up to Hsu using the momentum to land a devastating punch to Hsu's gut. When Sub Zero lifted his head up he was mortified to find the giant had not even flinched. Before he could even think of a way to escape Hsu's left hand had enveloped his head while his right went to work on Sub Zero's gut. Thinking quickly Sub Zero placed both of his feet on Hsu's head and kicked launching him to safety.

The enraged Hsu Hao quickly closed the gap and started swinging wildly downwards hoping to flatten his opponent. The blows rained down like thunder leaving craters the size of an average man's head, but Sub Zero easily slid out of the way of all Hsu's attacks. Sub Zero randomly started shooting ice turning the courtyard into a skating rink and then formed his kori blade and circled Hsu. Seeing the battle was going in Sub Zero's favor Hsu had tried to run, but Sub Zero was in too bad of a mood to be merciful. Sub Zero swooped in with hawk like precision and cut one of Hsu's legs, but before he could circle around for the other one Hsu grabbed him and threw him against a pillar. It seemed Sub Zero was finished as Hsu Hao approached, but when he looked down he noticed a crater Hsu had left earlier and thought up a plan. Hsu took one last look at the man he was about to kill the drew back his fist as far as he could, but as soon as it rocketed forward he noticed it encased in ice. Sub Zero said to no one in particular "FINISH HIM" as he slid under Hsu Hao and planted a kick on his back adding to the already powerful punch. The second Hsu Hao's hand made contact with the pillar it shattered along with the pillar. Hsu Hao looked at his killer in horror as a hail of marble came crashing down on him. Sub Zero watched as this once proud man reached out for help with a handless arm and tears on his face. After wearing out the last of the air in his lungs with cries for mercy Hsu Hao simply lay down and died.

An hour later in his quarters was assessing the damages it had been the third time in the past two months that the Red Dragon had attacked them and the Tekunin were not far behind. This only helped serve his theory that the remnants of the old Lin Kue had to be dealt with before it could start anew. A few things crossed Sub Zero's mind as he formed a list of priorities, most of them would be easily accomplished by any of his clan but there was one that only he could do. He had to fulfill the last contract the Lin Kue had received, the assassination of Shang Tsung.


	2. The First Sin

Author's notes I was too excited to get this in last time to post any commentary. This is my first attempt at any real writing so please help me grow by giving some constructive criticism. I'd also like to thank JCFighter and Blueindigo for reviewing and for pointing out my error in the spelling of Lin Kuei. Author's notes

Sub Zero had been waiting at the Special Forces headquarters for hours. He had heard rumors of Shang Stung trying to yet again claim Shao Khan's throne and having absorbed the Sloulnado it was only a matter of days before he succeeded. With that in mind he came to the Special Forces to seek help. The wait had been long and silent Sub Zero had been a little more than surprised to find Cyrax working with the Special Forces. While Sonya and Jax had explained how they had restored Cyrax's mind Sub Zero was still on edge being around the robot that had hunted for so long.

Sub Zero found his mind being drawn to memories of that night. He remembered being abducted from his own quarters, waking up to Sektor's screams, he remembered the fear in Cyrax's eyes as his fellow Lin Kuei was dragged of by their very own leader, he remembered the escape, him and Smoke running for their very souls, but most of all he remembered when Smoke was captured. Sub Zero tried to fight off the machines with all of his being, but in the end he had lost and Smoke was gone. A year later Sub Zero had heard his friend's voice among the crowds in a village and quickly spotted him.

Sub Zero had watched as the robot made work of questioning everyone in the village about his location until Smoke finally gave up and moved on. Sub Zero followed Smoke out of the village note even caring if the cyborg noticed, he was just glad to have found out his friend was still alive. Smoke finally stopped at a clearing outside of town only to turn to his former friend and without warning he launched a grenade right at Sub Zero. Sub Zero bent backwards trying to dodge the grenade, but the second it went past him it blew causing a fragment to slide across the right half of his face. Sub Zero had been bewildered Smoke had to still know him after all of the years, after all of the missions he just had to recognize him. Sub Zero then realized Smoke did recognize him not as a friend, not as a member of his clan, not even as a human, but as a target. The warrior who stood before him was not Smoke he was only a mere assassin. Sub Zero encased the cyborg in ice and ran.

He didn't run from his long time friend, he did not run away from his pursuer, he did not run to shelter or from danger, he ran from reality. He ran from the fact he had failed, he ran from the fact he had failed Smoke by letting them take him, he had failed his father by leaving the Lin Kuei, and he had failed his brother by sharing the same bloodline. Sub Zero had spent many hours studying that scar in the mirror after words as if preparing to retake that test. Cyrax sensing Sub Zero's sorrow said the only thing he could say, "It was not your fault." Sub Zero instantly snapped back to reality Sub Zero gave Cyrax a quizzical look 'did that thing just speak to me?' he mentally asked himself. Cyrax then continued, "Do you really think that you could have stood up to two cyberneticly enhanced arch assassins?" Sub Zero was ashamed not only did a machine pity him, but also the machine was right! Sub Zero stood up and with more than a hint of aggression "How the hell could you understand you are not even sentient!"

Cyrax's visor came up so that Sub Zero could know Cyrax meant what he said, "You are the one who does not understand! The only thing that allowed us to cling on to any shred of humanity or even gave a meaning to our existence was to try and become as strong as you! You were the one that tried to escape while we simply lie down and wait! You were the one who absolutely would not abandon his friends to overwhelming odds while we watched one another be operated on! I remember watching you battered and beaten and yet with an unbelievable measure of determination you continued trying to claw your way to the certain death held within the halls of the Lin Kuei headquarters just because some one needed you!"

Sub Zero had carefully contemplated everything the cyborg had just told him. Where he once thought that by all rights Smoke was dead and Sub Zero could not stand that the machine dare defile Smoke's name he now wondered if Smoke could be saved, after all it had worked for Cyrax. A lifeless voice with no particular owner rang to the room simply stating, "Now you die Sub Zero!" Sub Zero slowly craned his head up to find many cyborgs all clad in red armor standing all around the room. Sektor stepped forward and said, "We have waited far to long for this Sub Zero, I wanted to give you a present." The second those words escaped Sektor debris flew everywhere and an entire wall vanished. In its place however was a feminine looking cyborg with blue armor. Sektor then told the woman cyborg "Kill him, Frost."


	3. Sifu

Most of the FanFics I've read have had little pre-show skits giving you a look into the author's soul, well I don't want you (and by you I mean the 2 people reading this) to think I'm soulless so. Feral gets off laptop while releasing a fatty groan and unpauses MK3. With lightning speed he enters up, down, up, down, triangle causing Shang Tsung to do his soul steal fatality. "See that proves I have a soul and that was Ermac he has at least 20 of them!" "It also proves you don't have a life" Feral's brother exclaimed. "Well maybe if you hadn't stolen my last quarter I could buy one!"

All of the Tekunin stood right before Sub Zero. The Tekunin had converted half of Japan into cyborgs. The Tekunin had broken from his own clan and then declared war on it. The Tekunin had haunted his nightmares for so many years. The clan that not only killed his friends, but also gave their names to monsters now stood before him waiting to attack in full force and he could not have been happier. Like a child at Christmas Sub Zero jumped at the closest Cyborg and dug claws of ice into the robot revealing what he had always wanted an enemy's spleen!

The Tekunin were taken aback all of their data had shown Sub Zero to be calm and collected at all times. Sub Zero's hand had found itself in the throat of another cyborg before he met any resistance. Sub Zero turned around and caught the hand of another cyborg like a baseball; Sub Zero was shocked when he turned to the owner of the fist only to find the female cyborg. She quickly retracted her fist and sent another into Sub Zero's jaw. Sub Zero stumbled backwards enough to see the cyborg take the first stance he had taught Frost. He remembered how clumsy she used to be always putting her feet to close together or her arms to far apart and how he enjoyed that part a far too much, but this stance was perfect, it was the stance of a trained killer.

Sub Zero watched as large shards of ice formed between Frost's fingers. Sub Zero barely managed to escape the hail, but the Tekunin behind him weren't so lucky the shards had gone straight through them. As soon as Sub Zero had landed he found his legs encased in ice. Frost slowly walked towards Sub Zero materializing more ice in between her fingers Sub Zero had suddenly been drawn back to when Frost had stolen the amulet. His sight kept flickering between the past and present as if trying to merge, but one figure remained a constant. Suddenly the ice around him shattered, he could not, no he would not lose her like that again.

With newfound resolve Sub Zero summoned hundreds of shards of ice and sent them at Frost. Seconds before the shards would have hit her they evaporated leaving a thick mist. Sub Zero then ran at her and let loose a clumsily aimed punch. Frost easily glided out of the way and said "You're getting old Sifu if all you can muster are melting ice and punches that can't even hit the ground below you!" Frost then slid to him while creating an ice ramp. She skillfully slid of the ramp and placed a kick across Sub Zero's entire face knocking him to the ground. Frost now walked to her former mentor only to see him smiling Frost looked up to find a hail dropping out of the mist as if loosened by all of the activity. She didn't even have time to think about dodging as hundreds of tiny needles of ice pierced her armor.

Sub Zero checked and made sure none of the wounds were critical before deciding to move on. Shards of ice materialized out of thin air and began piecing themselves together forming a kori lance. Sub Zero gripped the lance and swung at the closest Tekunin's neck, the cyborg was dead before he hit the ground. Sub Zero leapt into the air and drove his lance downward skewering another cyborg. Before his feet could hit the ground Sub Zero pole-vaulted forward crushing another cyborg's head. This last display of skill had taken the remaining cyborg's attention away from a battered and beaten Cyrax and Sub Zero had found himself surrounded by cyborgs. Sub Zero launched himself yards into the air and aimed his kori lance directly at the ground below him and released it. The second it hit the ground it erupted into hundreds of knife-like shards, everyone in the room except Frost, Cyrax and Sub Zero had been impaled. Sub Zero had been admiring his own handiwork until he noticed something was wrong he couldn't find Sektor's corpse. Sub Zero remembered back to his Lin Kuei training and accessed Frost's memory banks to find the location of the Tekunin's headquarters. Sub Zero asked Cyrax to help Frost and then speed off.

When Sektor entered the compound his senses were immediately overwhelmed by a thick vapor. With his severely crippled sight he could barely make out a figure weaving through hundreds of others. Sektor took an investigatory step forward only to find himself tripping on ice, he glided until he reached a figure. He leapt up and punched the figure finding that it instantly shattered. He then realized they were all made of ice. As if on cue he saw one of the figures move, all except one he mentally reprimanded himself.


	4. Corrupted Souls

Well since no one has tried to get this deleted yet I guess its time for a disclaimer! All characters, locations and factions used in this story unless otherwise stated are property of Midway.

As the figure made another pass Sektor caught a glimpse of his face and said "Sub Zero have you come to finally repent for abandoning your friends?" "The only thing I have to repent for is not killing you sooner!" Sub Zero responded as he skated towards Sektor and thickly encased his hands in ice. Sub Zero threw one mace like fist at Sektor who easily dodged. Sub Zero hammered into the wall leaving a watermelon sized crater in the steel plating.

"You deny the fact that you failed a friend in need. You deny that you left him to suffer under years of slavery and turmoil. You deny that you sacrificed him to a fate that should have been yours." Stated Sektor coldly enough to make Sub Zero shiver. Sub Zero's arm immediately flew from the wall and into Sektor's gut. Sub Zero pried his arm from Sektor's gut only to redeposit it a second later. "Do you know why Sektor, Cyrax and Smoke were recreated into what they are now?" Rang a voice that seemed to originate from the very walls of the compound "They were a cover-up."

"Who are you and what are you hiding!" demanded Sub Zero while still holding Sektor up with one arm. The seemingly unconscious Sektor opened his chest letting loose several grenades. Sektor and Sub Zero both jumped away in time to avoid getting hit by any of the metal fragments. "You were the intended vessel, you were the entire reason the cyborg program began." Continued the voice as it reconvened in Sektor. "What do you mean intended vessel?" queried Sub Zero. "Your blood line has been the subject of many studies for a while. Your mastery of ice has made you famous. I thought you make the perfect host," said Sektor. "Then why did you involve them at all?" boomed Sub Zero as he charged towards Sektor. "How do you think the Lin Kuei would have reacted if one of their arch assassins were to disappear? I told the former grandmaster I could increase the efficiency of his assassins 200 and he practically threw you at me" stated Sektor.

Sub Zero had about reached Sektor when he began forming his kori blade. Sektor knew he couldn't go unarmed against a blade so he began to examine his surroundings. It was then when he noticed Sub Zero had endowed all of the sculptures with a weapon of it's own. Sektor quickly pulled a katana from one of the statues in time to meet Sub Zero's blade. The two fought as hard as possible to gain ground until Sektor said "Do you know what I did to Smoke as punishment for your escape? I made him unique. With all of the others I repressed their souls so that they couldn't resist orders or fight what they had become, but with Smoke I didn't."

Sub Zero began a flurry of strikes desperately trying to silence his opponent. Sektor easily parried all of the attacks with almost no effort and continued, "He was there through all of it, he watched all of it, and he lived all of it. Did the speech Cyrax made make you feel better. I know you could hear the pain in his voice it more for himself then you. He still blames you for those nightmares, but to him that is all they were. Every one of my cyborgs is directly linked into this building; all of their missions and vital signs were recorded. Do you know what Smoke would do during missions? He would cry for the blood he was forced to shed and cry for what he had become. He would continuously beg for forgiveness as he dragged people's loved ones, he would fight with every ounce of strength he had to disobey orders as his body was raped by my orders."

Sektor noticed Sub Zero's attacks had lost power and aim with each word but he continued on "When he got back from missions I'd have him watch the footage of it. Even through the helmet you could see the look of pain on his face. His soul was slowly withering as he relived each and every moment. Every so often I'd play the tape of what happened when he gave you that scar as a reminder that you walked away. I'd play it as a reminder that it is all your fault."

By the time Sektor had finished talking Sub Zero's punches had no weight at all and had no purpose. Sektor propelled Sub Zero onto his back with one kick and raised his blade up to his helmet. The image contained within the crystalline blade frightened and enraged Sub Zero. Sektor's face was reflected in every portion of the blade multiplying that helmet that all Tekunin wore. That helmet had haunted his nightmares for years, it was the helmet that had chased him, it was the helmet that had stolen the lives of his friends and it was the helmet that threatened to engulf him. Something inside snapped under the judgmental gaze of that helmet.

Sub Zero leapt to his feet and shattered the blade so that most of the shards hit Sektor. Sektor recovered in time to see a thick mist enshroud the area. Sektor noticed a sculpture with a drawn back fist gliding towards him and rolled out of the way. Sektor returned to his feet only to find another sculpture holding his fist next to his head and gliding towards Sektor. Sektor jumped out of the way and right into Sub Zero's fist. Sektor could only watch the hail form in the living mist and rain down upon him in mid air. By the time Sektor had reached the wall hail had intruded into every inch of his body except his head. Sub Zero could only smile as he formed that last shard in the mist and let it plummet into Sektor.

Sub Zero triumphantly marched away until he heard the sound of metal tapping against metal. He looked around franticly finding his only company to be Sektor and then he realized Sektor no longer had his armor. Sub Zero found the origin of the noise, six spider-like figures of varying sizes. Without warning one jumped at Sub Zero. He tried to swat it away only to have it engulf his arm. While Sub Zero tried to pry the first off another caught his leg. The rest quickly went after his remaining appendages, body and head. He felt them stirring all of his body making weird noises and fought harder no longer caring if he looses body parts as long as they are not of him. As soon as all of the mysterious attackers settled Sub Zero found he could no longer move. He found himself being pulled downwards by the figures as if they were trying to prove a point. There point had been proved as Sub Zero looked into the mirror-like floor to find he was now one of the Tekunin.


End file.
